Fluid-engine.



J. B. RAMP.

FLUID ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I0.- 1916.

1,222,990. Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

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J. B. RAMP.

FLUID ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. 1916.

Patented Apr. 17,1917.

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'J. B. RAMP.

FLUID ENGINE.

APPLHIATION m n JULY w. 1916.

Patented Apr. 17,1917.

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JOHN BASIL RAMP, 0F LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY."

FLUID-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 1"], 1917;

Application filed July 10, 1916. Serial No. 108,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN B. RAMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Engines, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- 111 s.

This invention relates to rotary engines and particularly to that class of rotary engines Where a rotor is mounted upon one axis and the piston rod connections are mounted upon an axis eccentric to the axis of the rotor.

One object of my invention is to provide an engine of this character which will be effective in action, .simple in constructlon, run with a minimum of vibration, and in which the parts are easily accessible.

A further object of the invention is to provide for permitting motive fiuid to enter the cylinders for a relatively long period if desired and provide for a relatively long exhaust if desired.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

One practical form of construction will be described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, I

Figure 1 is a vertical sectlonal v1ew;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the working face of the rear portion of the foundation or bed plate;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the shaft 11, the screw 7 and the socket 10.

The bed plate may be of the usual form or type of construction known as a box bed plate and preferably comprlsestwo portions A and B, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. The bed plate may be formed of any suitable material and also may be provided with suitable lugs 5 provided with the aper tures 6 through which may pass convenient foundation bolts (not shown).

The section A of the foundationhas two pedestals C and D carrying at their upper ends bearings C and D, in whlch 1s supported the shaft 11. Outward of the pedestal C there is provided the upwardly projecting arm E through which passes a screw 7 provided with a head 8 whereby the screw may be adjusted. A loclcnut 9 retalns the screw in any desired position. The inner end of the screw 7 is provided with a socket l0 whlch, as illustrated in Fig. 4, receives the adjacent extremity of the shaft 11, this shaft bearing against any suitable anti-friction member 10. By rotating the screw 7, the shaft 11 may be forced over so as to hold the rotor 18 against the face 37 of the pedestal portion F. I

The main shaft 11 extends beyond the bearing D a sufficient distance so that the end plate 12 may be secured thereto. The shaft 11 has mounted thereon between the bearings C and D a pulley 13 which has a hub 14. It will be obvious that by turning the screw 7 the shaft 11 may be shifted in a direction toward the pedestal F so as to take up any wear between the rotor and the pedestal F. p

The end plate 12 is dished and may be secured. to the shaft 11 in the usual way or it may be preferably circular in outline and it is provided with the hand holes 15 and slots 16 on its rim. The slots 16 are of sufficient width to receive the connecting rods 17.

shrunk on. This end plate 12 is j This end plate 12 is secured to a rotor 18 I so that they may revolve together as a unitary structure. I The rotor has a plurality of radial cylinders formed therein. These cylinders, designated 19 to 26, have their inner ends closed except for the port openings 27 to 34 inclusive. These port openings 27 to 34 extend in an axial direction to the lateral face 35 of a hub or shouldered portion 36 formed on the rotor. This face 35 is faced true so that it lies at right angles to the axis of the main shaft 11 and has rotative engagement with an annular surface 37 formed on the pedestal F of the section B of the bed plate or foundation.

The section B may be joined to the section A of the bed plate by means of the flanges 38 and 39 which are provided with the bolt holes 40 and 41. Formed in the annular face 37 are the two steam or fluid passages 42 and 43. The passage 42 is preferably utilized for the inlet of the fluid to the cylinders and the passage 43 is utilized for the exhaust. These passages 42 and 43 are arcuate in shape. As shown in Fig. 3, the inlet passage 42 communicates with the steam line 76. This passage 42 extends to the right or through a distance which, as shown, is somewhat less than ninety degrees. The passage 43 extends to the left through a distance a little less than onehundred and eighty degrees and communicates with the exhaust pipe 75, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Projecting in an axial direction from the pedestal portion F is a cone-shaped hub 44 which is provided at one end with a hearing or flat face 45. The axis of this hub 44 is in an ofiset relation to the main shaft. This hub 44 has a central aperture.

A disk or wrist plate 46 is provided with a flat bearing surface to rotate against the bearing surface 45. This disk 46 is pro vided with a series of holes adjacent the peripheral edge and also with a hole 77 which passes substantially through the center. To hold this disk 46 in its cooperative relation with the hub 44 and with the surface 45, a bolt is provided. This bolt is provided with a head 48, a straight cylindrical portion 47 and a tapered portion 49 which terminates in a threaded end 50. To cooperate with the threaded portion, a nut 51 isprovided. The head of the bolt rests against one surface of the plate 46 and the cylindrical portion 47 passes through the central hole. The tapered portion 49 cooperates with the hole formed centrally of the tapering surface 45 and by means of the threaded end 50 and the nut 51, the bolt may be seated in firm engagement with the hub 44, the tapered por tion acting as a wedge to prevent the bolt from binding and the cylindrical portion 4'? is adapted to act as an arbor, around which the disk 46 may rotate.

Disposed within the cylinders 19 to 26 inclusive, are the pistons 52 to 59 inclusive. Each of the several pistons is provided with a boss 60. Passing through the boss is a bolt which comprises a head 61, a cylindrical portion 62, a tapered portion 63, a threaded end 64 and a nut 65 to engage with the threaded portion. 'The cylindrical por tion 62 passes through the hole in the boss so that it may slightly rotate therein and is held in one direction by means of the head 61. The tapered portion 63 engages with a suitable tapered hole formed in each of the rods 17. The tapered portion 63, in cooperation with the tapered hole and the nut and threaded end serve to hold these bolts in firm engagement, without binding in the rods. The pistons 59. to 59 inclusive are shown as being provided with the two piston rings 66 and 67.

The connecting rods 17 are so formed that their outer ends provide a suflicient bearing surface for the tapered hole so that the tapered portion 68 of the several bolts may be seated firmly. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, where the arms are illustrated in a vertical section, they are substantially L-shaped and their outer ends extend laterally through slots in the side walls of the cylinder. The other ends of the rod are provided with suitable apertures to engage with the bolts which pass through the disk or wrist plate 46. These bolts comprise a head 68, a cylindrical portion 69, a tapered portion 70, a threaded end 71 and a nut 72. The head preferably rests against one surface of the disk 46 and the cylindrical portion passes therethrough, while the tapered portion prevents binding of the bolt.

To prevent oil or other substances from being thrown out when the fly wheel or rim 18 revolves, a suitable cap or shield 73 is provided. This cap or shield as illustrated is attached to the pedestal F and extends over the periphery of the rotor and is concentric thereto. The inner face of the shield is open to accommodate the rotor supportmg member 12.

In practical operation, steam passes from steam line 76 to passage 42 and thence to the ports 27 and 34 and forces outward the pistons in the cy-linders'19 and 26. The pistons moving outward pull on the rods connected thereto, which pull is translated into rotary motion, by the wrist plate in cooperation with the flywheel member 18, to the main shaft 11.

The motion is assumed to be clockwise when looking at the engine from the thrust bearing end or pedestal O, as shown by the arrow. As before described, the fluid passage 42 extends only part way around the valve face 37, so that when the member 18 rotates or moves only two cylinders, are in direct communication with the fluid passage 42 at one time. From the end of this passage to the beginning of the eduction or exhaust passage 43, there is no communication between the cylinders and the valve face 37. The fluid, during this period is expanding and the pistons are moving outward, until a cylinder, with its port is put in communication with the exhaust passage 43. The piston is then at the outer end of its stroke and tends to move inward as the fluid exhausts from the cylinder by a continued rotation.

As the wrist plate or disk 46 rotates synchronously with the member 18 and the main shaft 11, and the wrist plate 46 being offset, the pistons are caused to have an in and out movement as. the member 18 revolves. The shaft 11 and the arbor for the wrist plate being fixed points and oifset from each, the pistons are thus caused to move in the proper direction as the member 18 rotates in a relatively eccentric manner to the wrist plate arbor.

Minor changes in the form and details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is z- 1. A. rotary engine including a shaft, an 130 annular rotor mounted on the shaft and having a plurality of radially disposed cylinders, each cylinder having a port extending outward to one side face of the rotor, a pedestal having a head disposed eccentric to the shaft and extending into the center of the rotor and eccentric thereto, connecting rods rotatably mounted upon the head, and pistons in the cylinders operatively connected to the rods, the face of the pedestal confronting the rotor having arcuate ports concentric to the axis of the rotor and with which the ports of the cylinders are adapted to register.

2. A rotary engine including a shaft, a dished supporting member mounted upon the shaft and having slots in its rim, a rotor formed integral with the supporting member and extending in a plane transverse to the axis thereof and formed with a plurality of cylinders in its periphery, each" cylinder having a port extending outward in a direction away from said supporting member and to one side face of the rotor, a pedestal having a he'ad disposed eccentric to the shaft and extending into the center of the rotor and eccentric thereto, connecting rods rotatably mounted upon the head and extending outward through the slots in the rim of the supporting member, and pistons in-the cylinders operatively connected to the rods, the

face of the pedestal confronting the rotor having arcuate ports eccentric to the axis of the rotor and with which the ports of the cylinders are adapted to register.

8. A rotary engine including a shaft, bearings within which the shaft is mounted, a rotor supporting member mounted upon the shaft and approximately dish-shaped, the rim of the member having slots, a rotor mounted upon the supporting member and extending in a plane transversely to the axis thereof, and formed upon its periphery with a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder having a port extending away from the supporting member and opening upon the lateral face of the rotor, a pedestal having a head extending into the rotor, the center of the head being eccentricto the shaft and to the rotor, a disk rotatably mounted upon the head, pistons in the several cylinders, and connecting rods pivotally connected to said disk and at their outer ends passing through the slots in the rim of the supporting member and pivotally connected to said pistons.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN BASIL RAMP. Witnesses:

M. L. MOFERRAN, PERRY F. MATTHEWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

